Five Year: New Series from Walking Dead Creator Announced

by Regina Avalos, March 7, 2016

Robert Kirkman is bringing another series to life, but this series will head to streaming service Viki instead of a cable network. Kirkman brought The Walking Dead to life when he released the comic series in 2003. Now, the television series is headed into its seventh season once the current season wraps.

The new series, Five Year, will focus on “a family over time as a meteor that will wipe out humanity steadily approaches Earth.” The first season will consist of 16 episodes.

Daily Dead shared the press release for this new series. Read it below.

Viki, the global TV site powered by fans, today announced that it is partnering with Skybound Entertainment to produce “Five Year,” a series based on an original story by “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman. The pre-apocalyptic series, about a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed toward Earth, will be filmed as a Korean drama.

“This has been a story I have wanted to tell for quite some time, but David [Alpert] and I wanted to make sure it found a proper home where it could grow and breathe creatively. Looking at what Viki has done in not only the dramatic series space, but transforming the way viewers consume and translate media, we knew immediately ‘Five Year’ had found its home,” said Robert Kirkman, CEO and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment and creator of “Five Year.”

The series will debut its first 16-episode season on Korean broadcast television and worldwide on Viki. The series will take place over the course of five years with five seasons anticipated. Filming will begin later this year.

“As devoted fans of Korean cinema, television, and culture, we’re thrilled to be launching what we hope is the first of many collaborations with the Korean entertainment industry. “Five Year”, which tells the story of one family dealing with the impending apocalypse, is the perfect property to launch our partnership. It highlights the intense interpersonal moments that Korean dramas capture so well, and sets them against the epic backdrop for which Skybound has become known,” said president and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment David Alpert.

“In many ways, Viki and Skybound represent the future of global entertainment, particularly with Hollywood-Asia collaborations and VOD platforms like Viki leading distribution and fan-building,” said Tammy H. Nam, CEO of Viki. “We’re thrilled to be working with the creators and executive producers of one of the most popular TV series of all time. The fact that David and Robert wanted to make ‘Five Year’ as a K-drama is a testament to the massive global popularity and quality of Asian programming.”

“Five Year” is the second original series produced by Viki. “Dramaworld,” a 10-episode mini-series set in Los Angeles and Korea with a multinational cast and crew, will debut spring 2016 on Viki.com. “Dramaworld” is a co-production with China’s Jetavana Entertainment, EnterMedia Contents, and Third Culture Content.

To learn more about the global content available on Viki, please visit Viki.com.

Never heard of Viki before this, but this show likely is one show I’ll never have an opportunity to see, being on some apparently obscure streaming service.

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March 7, 2016 12:54 pm

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Rose

Same here. I never see anything on Netflix or Hulu or any of the non-cable regular channels. I don’t have the time or inclination to hunt down any of the other “stations” streaming or otherwise. So, no, I won’ tbe seeing this even though it sounds really good. Thanks Kirkman!